Toothed Pet Grooming Tool with Fur Ejecting Mechanism

ABSTRACT

A pet grooming tool is provided with a fur ejector portion that is at least partially movable relative to the teeth of the pet grooming tool and can be manually moved into engagement with fur that is wedged or lodged between the teeth. The engagement of the fur ejector portion with the fur forces the fur from the gaps between the teeth. Preferably, the fur ejector portion can be manually moved by the same hand a person uses to support and hold the grooming tool.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 11/942,231, filed Nov.19, 2007, which is currently pending.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to pet grooming tools and, moreparticularly, to toothed pet grooming tools of the type used to removeloose fur (i.e., fur that is not attached to the skin) from the coat ofa pet.

2. Related Art

Various types of pet grooming tools have been developed for the specificpurpose of removing loose fur from the coats of pets. One of the mostsuccessful types of such grooming tools is described in U.S. Pat. Nos.7,222,588, 7,077,076, and 6,782,846 and comprises a plurality of teetharranged in a row. While such tools are effective in removing loose furfrom pets, fur may become wedged or lodged between the gaps formedbetween the teeth of such tools and removing the such fur from the petgrooming tool can, in some cases, be somewhat time consuming. Typically,when fur becomes wedged in such a tool, the person using the tool simplycloses his or her hand over the teeth and then pulls the fur out of thegaps. While this is a relatively simple action, it can be cumbersomewhen a person is using one hand to hold his or pet in place andtherefore doesn't have a free hand. Additionally, some people findtouching loose fur unpleasant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The methods and pet grooming tools of the present invention improve theusability of pet grooming tools by providing a pet grooming tool with afur ejector portion that is at least partially movable relative to theteeth of a pet grooming tool and can be manually moved into engagementwith fur that is wedged between the teeth. The engagement of the furejector portion with the wedged fur forces the fur from the gaps betweenthe teeth. Preferably the fur ejector portion can be manually moved bythe same hand a person uses to support and hold the grooming tool.

In one aspect of the invention, a pet grooming tool comprises a toothedportion and a fur ejector portion. The toothed portion comprises aplurality of teeth arranged in a row and a plurality of edge segments.Gaps lie between each adjacent pair of the teeth. The edge segments ofthe toothed portion are adapted to engage loose fur in a pet's coat assuch loose fur extends through the gaps in a manner removing the loosefur from the pet's coat. The fur ejector portion comprises an edge thatis movable between a first position and a second position relative tothe toothed portion. The edge of the fur ejector portion is biased fromthe second position toward the first position such that an externalforce is required to move the edge of the fur ejector portion from thefirst position to the second position. The fur ejector portion isconfigured and adapted to permit fur to pass through the gaps of thetoothed portion when the edge of the fur ejector portion is in the firstposition. The edge of the fur ejector portion is adapted to slidablycontact the teeth of the toothed portion and to contact fur passingthrough the gaps of the toothed portion in a manner forcing fur from thegaps of the toothed portion as the fur ejector portion moves away fromthe first position toward the second position.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of removing loose fur froma pet comprises a step of providing a pet grooming tool. The petgrooming tool comprises a toothed portion, a handle portion, and a furejector portion. The toothed portion comprises a plurality of teetharranged in at least one row and a plurality of edge segments. A gapexists between each adjacent pair of the teeth. The fur ejector portioncomprises an edge which is movable between a first position and a secondposition relative to the toothed portion. The method further comprises astep of moving the teeth of the toothed portion relative to a pet's coatby applying an external force to the handle portion while the furejector portion is in the first position. The movement causes a portionof loose fur of the pet's coat to pass into the gaps between the teethof the toothed portion and causes the edge segments of the toothedportion to contact the portion of loose fur in a manner removing theportion of loose fur from the pet's coat. Still further, the methodcomprises a step off applying an external force to the pet grooming toolin a manner moving the edge of the fur ejector portion away from thefirst position toward the second position. The movement of the edge ofthe fur ejector portion away from the first position toward the secondposition causes the edge of the fur ejector portion to contact furpassing through the gaps of the toothed portion in a manner forcing suchfur from the gaps of the toothed portion.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of modifying a petgrooming tool comprises a step of providing a pet grooming tool. The petgrooming tool comprises a handle portion, a toothed portion, and a firstscrew. The toothed portion comprises a plurality of teeth. A gap existsbetween each adjacent pair of the teeth. The handle portion is incontact with the toothed portion and is removably attached thereto viaat least the first screw. The method further comprises a step ofattaching a fur ejector portion to the pet grooming tool by removing thefirst screw from the pet grooming tool, sandwiching the fur ejectorportion between the handle portion and the toothed portion, and securingthe fur ejector portion to the handle portion and to the toothed portionvia at least a second screw. The fur ejector portion comprises an edgewhich is movable between a first position and a second position relativeto the toothed portion when attached thereto. The fur ejector portion isconfigured and adapted to permit fur to pass through the gaps of thetoothed portion when the edge of the fur ejector portion is in the firstposition. The edge of the fur ejector portion is adapted to engage furpassing through the gaps of the toothed portion in a manner forcing furfrom the gaps of the toothed portion as the fur ejector portion movestoward the second position.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as theoperation of various embodiments of the present invention, are describedin detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective exploded assembly view of a petgrooming tool in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates another perspective exploded assembly view of thetool shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a right side elevation view of tool shown FIGS. 1 and2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front elevation view of the toothed portion of thetool shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the toothed portion of thetool shown in FIGS. 1-3, taken about the line 5-5 shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the tool shown in FIGS.1-3, taken about the line 6-6 shown in FIG. 3, and is shown with theedge of the fur ejector portion in the first position.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6, but isshown with the edge of the fur ejector portion in the second position.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective exploded assembly view of the petgrooming tool shown in FIGS. 1-3, with the fur ejecting portion removedtherefrom.

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective exploded assembly view of analternative embodiment of a fur ejector portion of a pet grooming toolin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates another perspective exploded assembly view of thefur ejector portion shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective assembly view of the fur ejectorportion shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, with the edge of the fur ejectorportion in the first position.

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective assembly view of the fur ejectorportion shown in FIGS. 9-11, with the edge of the fur ejector portion inthe second position.

Reference numerals in the written specification and in the drawingfigures indicate corresponding items or steps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An embodiment of a pet grooming tool in accordance with the invention isshown in FIGS. 1-3. The pet grooming tool 20 comprises a handle portion22, a toothed portion 24, and a fur ejector portion 26. Preferably, butnot necessarily, the handle portion 22, toothed portion 24, and furejector portion 26 are formed as individual parts that are separablefrom each other.

The handle portion 22 is configured to be held in one hand and ispreferably elongate about a longitudinal axis. Preferably, the handleportion 22 is formed primarily of a relatively rigid plastic and has asofter rubbery grip portion. The handle portion 22 also preferablycomprises a bearing surface 28 at one of its longitudinal ends. Twothreaded holes 30 extend into the handle portion 22 from the bearingsurface 28. Preferably the threaded holes 30 are formed by threadedmetal inserts.

The toothed portion 24 of the pet grooming tool 20 is preferably formedof metal and comprises a plurality of teeth 32. The teeth 32 preferablyform a straight row. Preferably, the toothed portion 24 comprises a mainbody 34 having opposite forward facing 36 a rearward facing 38 surfaces.The forward facing 36 and rearward facing 38 surfaces are preferablyparallel planar surfaces. The teeth 32 preferably extend from a frontsurface 40 to a back surface 42. The front surface 40 preferably taperstoward the back surface 42 as said surfaces extend toward the tips 44 ofthe teeth 32. Preferably the sides 46 of the teeth 32 intersect the backsurface 42 in a manner forming a plurality of edge segments 48. The edgesegments 48 formed by the sides 46 of the teeth 32 have an angle ofapproximately ninety degrees. Forward facing surface segments 50 extendbetween the teeth 32 and intersect the back surface 42 in manner formingadditional edge segments 48. The edge segments 48 formed by the forwardfacing surface segments 50 are preferably significantly acute (≈40degrees or less). The toothed portion 24 also preferably comprises apair of through holes 52 that extend through its main body 34.

The fur ejector portion 26 preferably comprises a fixed portion 54, amovable portion 56, and a biasing portion 58 that are preferably formedtogether as a monolithic piece of homogeneous plastic. The fixed portion54 of the fur ejector portion 26 preferably comprises a pair of throughholes 60 that extend through the thickness of the fur ejector portion.The fixed portion 54 also comprises a plurality of guide surfaces 62.The movable portion 56 has a thickness that is slightly less than thatof the fixed portion 54 and comprises a front edge 64 that is preferablylinear and oriented perpendicular to the guide surfaces 62 of the fixedportion 54. The movable portion 56 also preferably comprises a pluralityof guide surfaces 65. The biasing portion 58 preferably comprises a pairof resilient bridges 66 that connect the movable portion 56 to the fixedportion 54. The resilient bridges 66 are relatively slim and nonlinearsuch that they can flex relatively easily without fracturing orfatiguing. Preferably, part of the movable portion 56 of the fur ejectorportion 22 forms an actuation button 68. The fur ejector portion 26 ofthe pet grooming tool 20 also preferably comprises a fur guard 70, whichis preferably a piece of plastic sheet having two through holes 72.

The pet grooming tool 20 described above also preferably comprises atrim cap 74 and two screws 76. The trim cap 72 is preferably a piece ofplastic having a recess 78 that is dimensioned to receive the main body34 of the toothed portion 24 of the pet grooming tool 20. The trim cap72 also has two countersunk through holes 80.

The pet grooming tool 20 is assembled by placing the fur guard 70against the bearing surface 28 of the handle portion 22, with thethrough holes 72 of the fur guard 70 aligned with the threaded holes 30of the handle portion. The fixed portion 54 of the fur ejector portion26 is then placed against the fur guard 70 with its through holes 60also aligned with the threaded holes 30 of the handle portion 22.Similarly, the toothed portion 24 of the pet grooming tool 20 is placedagainst the fur ejector portion 26 with its through holes 52 alignedwith the threaded holes 30 of the handle portion 22. Additionally, thetrim cap 74 is placed against the toothed portion 24 with the main body34 of the tooth portion positioned in the recess 78 of the trim cap andthe countersunk through holes 80 of the trim cap aligned with thethreaded holes 30 of the handle portion 22. The screws 76 are thenaligned with the threaded holes 30 of the handle portion 22 and arethreaded thereinto, thereby clamping the components of the pet groomingtool 20 to one another. As assembled, the trim cap 74 conceals the mainbody 34 of the toothed portion 24, thereby improving the aesthetics ofthe pet grooming tool 20. Additionally, the fur guard 70 prevents furfrom becoming lodged between the movable portion 56 and the fixedportion 54 of the fur ejector portion 26, where it could otherwiseinterfere with the proper operation of the fur ejector portion and makethe pet grooming tool 20 difficult to clean.

In use, the teeth 32 of the toothed portion 24 of the pet grooming tool20 are preferably pulled through the coat of a furry pet by grasping thehandle portion 22 and applying a force thereto. As the teeth 32 of thetoothed portion 24 is pulled through the pet's coat, the front surface40 of the toothed portion trails the back surface 42. During thisprocess, the edge segments 48 of the toothed portion 24 of the petgrooming tool 20 grab loose fur within the pet's coat and force saidloose fur from the coat. This effectively removes loose fur from thepet's coat. However, some of loose fur may become lodged in the gapsbetween the teeth 32 of the toothed portion 24. To remove the lodgedfur, the person using the pet grooming tool 20 presses his or her thumbagainst the actuation button 68 of the fur ejector portion 26, which isotherwise biased by the biasing portion 58 in the first position shownin FIG. 6. The resulting force on the fur ejector portion 26 causes theresilient bridges 66 of the biasing portion 58 of the fur ejectorportion to bend and expand such that the movable portion 56 moves towardthe tips 44 of the teeth 32 of the toothed portion 24 as shown in FIG. 7(the second position). During such movement, the edge 64 of the movableportion 56 of the fur ejector portion 26 slidably moves against the backsurface 42 of the toothed portion 24 of the pet grooming tool 20 andagainst the edge segments 48. As such any fur that is lodged in the gapsbetween the teeth 32 of the toothed portion 24 of the pet grooming tool20 is forced toward the tips 44 of the teeth and is thereby ejected fromthe pet grooming tool. Once released, the resiliency of the biasingportion 58 causes the resilient bridges 66 to return to theirundeflected configuration, which causes the movable portion 56 of thefur ejector portion 26 to return to its first position relative to thetoothed portion 24 of the pet grooming tool 20.

It should be appreciated that, because the fixed portion 54 of the furejector portion 26 is thicker than the movable portion 56 of the furejector portion, the movable portion is not clamped by the screws 76. Itshould also be appreciated that the guide surfaces 62 of the fixedportion 54 of the fur ejector portion 26 slidably engage against theguide surfaces 65 of the movable portion 56 of the fur ejector portion,thereby controlling the direction in which the movable portion movesrelative to the toothed portion 24 of the pet grooming tool 20 when theactuation button 68 is pressed.

The fur ejector portion 26 of the pet grooming tool 20 described aboveis configured and adapted to be removed from the pet grooming tool. Thisis done by removing the screws 76 from the pet grooming tool 20 and thenremoving the fur ejector portion 26, including the fur guard 70. Therearward facing surface 38 of the toothed portion 24 of the pet groomingtool 20 can then be placed directly against the bearing surface 28 ofthe handle portion 22. A second set of screws 82, which are slightlyshorter than the screws described above, can then be used to secure theremaining components together, as shown in FIG. 9. Similarly, thisprocess can be reversed to add the fur ejector portion 26 to a similarpet grooming tool that initially lacks a fur ejector portion.

An alternative embodiment of a fur ejector portion is shown in FIGS.9-12. This alternative fur ejector portion 100 is interchangeable withthe fur ejector portion 26 described above and preferably comprisesseparate movable 102 and fixed 104 portions and a biasing portion thatis in the form of a standard compression coil-spring 106. The fixed 102and movable 104 portions are configured to interlocked with each otherwhen they are sandwiched between the handle portion and the toothedportion of a pet grooming tool, albeit the movable portion canreciprocate between first and second positions (FIGS. 11 and 12respectively) relative to the toothed portion. The coil-spring 88 biasesthe movable portion 82 toward the first position, and the fur ejectorportion 80 otherwise operates similarly to the fur ejector portion 26described in the preceding paragraphs.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the several advantages ofthe invention are achieved and attained.

While the present invention has been described in reference to aspecific embodiment, in light of the foregoing, it should be understoodthat all matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings is intended to be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense and that various modifications and variations ofthe invention may be constructed without departing from the scope of theinvention defined by the following claims. Thus, other possiblevariations and modifications should be appreciated.

Furthermore, it should be understood that when introducing elements ofthe present invention in the claims or in the above description of thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be open-ended and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements.Additionally, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some orall of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use ofidentifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed ina manner imposing any relative position or time sequence betweenlimitations. Still further, the order in which the steps of any methodclaim that follows are presented should not be construed in a mannerlimiting the order in which such steps must be performed.

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A method of removing loose fur from a pet: providinga pet grooming tool, the pet grooming tool comprising a toothed portion,a handle portion, and a fur ejector portion, the toothed portioncomprising a plurality of teeth arranged in at least one row and aplurality of edge segments, there being a gap between each adjacent pairof the teeth, the edge segments alternating with the teeth and bridgingthe gaps between the teeth, the fur ejector portion comprising an edge,the edge of the fur ejector portion being movable between a firstposition and a second position relative to the toothed portion, the edgesegments of the toothed portion being generally between the edge of thefur ejector portion and tips of the teeth when the fur ejector portionis in the first position; moving the teeth of the toothed portionrelative to a pet's coat by applying an external force to the handleportion while the fur ejector portion is in the first position, themoving causing a portion of loose fur of the pet's coat to pass into thegaps between the teeth of the toothed portion and causing the edgesegments of the toothed portion to contact the portion of loose fur in amanner removing the portion of loose fur from the pet's coat; andapplying an external force to the pet grooming tool in a manner movingthe edge of the fur ejector portion away from the first position towardthe second position, the moving of the edge of the fur ejector portionaway from the first position toward the second position causing the edgeof the fur ejector portion to contact fur passing through the gaps ofthe toothed portion in a manner forcing such fur from the gaps of thetoothed portion.
 8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein the petgrooming tool comprises a biasing portion that biases the edge of thefur ejector portion away from the second position and toward the firstposition, and wherein the step of applying the external force to the petgrooming tool in a manner moving the edge of the fur ejector portiontoward the second position counteracts the bias.
 9. A method inaccordance with claim 8 wherein the biasing portion and the fur ejectorportion are integral portions of a homogenous piece of material, andwherein the step of applying the external force to the pet grooming toolresiliently deforms the biasing portion.
 10. A method in accordance withclaim 8 wherein the step of applying the external force to the petgrooming tool causes the edge of the fur ejector portion to slidablycontact the teeth of the toothed portion.
 11. A method in accordancewith claim 10 wherein the step of applying the external force to the petgrooming tool causes the edge of the fur ejector portion to slidablycontact the edge segments of the toothed portion.
 12. A method inaccordance with claim 7 wherein the external force applied to the handleportion to move the teeth of the toothed portion relative to the pet'scoat is applied via a person's hand, and the external force applied tothe pet grooming tool in the manner moving the edge of the fur ejectorportion away from the first position toward the second position isapplied by a thumb of the hand of the person while the handle portion isheld by the hand.
 13. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein thepet grooming tool comprises at least one threaded screw, and wherein themethod further comprises removing the fur ejector portion from the petgrooming tool via removing the screw from the pet grooming tool. 14-17.(canceled)
 18. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein each of atleast a plurality of the edge segments of the toothed portion comprisesa leading surface portion and a trailing surface portion, the trailingsurface portion and the leading surface portion of each of the pluralityof the edge segments forms an acute included angle, and the step ofmoving the teeth of the toothed portion relative to a pet's coat causesthe trailing surface portions to trail the leading surface portions. 19.A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the trailing surfaceportion and the leading surface portion of each of the plurality of theedge segments form an included angle of approximately 40 degrees.
 20. Amethod in accordance with claim 18 wherein the trailing surface portionand the leading surface portion of each of the plurality of the edgesegments form an included angle of less than approximately 40 degrees.21. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the leading surfaceportions of the plurality of the edge segments are generally coplanar.22. A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the edge of the furejector portion slidably contacts the leading surface portions of theplurality of the edge segments as the edge of the fur ejector portionmoves from the first position to the second position.
 23. A method inaccordance with claim 22 wherein the edge of the fur ejector portionslidably contacts at least a plurality of the teeth as the edge of thefur ejector portion moves from the first position to the secondposition.
 24. A method in accordance with claim 23 wherein the edge ofthe fur ejector portion is adjacent the tips of the teeth when the edgeof the fur ejector portion is in the second position.
 25. A method inaccordance with claim 18 wherein the pet grooming tool is adapted andconfigured such that the edge of the fur ejector portion slidablycontacts the leading surface portions of the plurality of the edgesegments as the edge of the fur ejector portion moves from the firstposition to the second position.
 26. A method of removing loose fur froma pet: providing a pet grooming tool, the pet grooming tool comprising atoothed portion, a handle portion, and a fur ejector portion, thetoothed portion comprising a plurality of teeth arranged in at least onerow and a plurality of edge segments, there being a gap between eachadjacent pair of the teeth, the fur ejector portion comprising an edge,the edge of the fur ejector portion being movable between a firstposition and a second position relative to the toothed portion; movingthe teeth of the toothed portion relative to a pet's coat by applying anexternal force to the handle portion while the fur ejector portion is inthe first position, the moving causing a portion of loose fur of thepet's coat to pass into the gaps between the teeth of the toothedportion and causing the edge segments of the toothed portion to contactthe portion of loose fur in a manner removing the portion of loose furfrom the pet's coat; and applying an external force to the pet groomingtool in a manner moving the edge of the fur ejector portion away fromthe first position toward the second position, the moving of the edge ofthe fur ejector portion away from the first position toward the secondposition causing the edge of the fur ejector portion to contact furpassing through the gaps of the toothed portion in a manner forcing suchfur from the gaps of the toothed portion.
 27. A method in accordancewith claim 26 wherein the pet grooming tool is configured such that theedge of the fur ejector portion is biased from the second positiontoward the first position, and wherein the step of applying the externalforce to the pet grooming tool in a manner moving the edge of the furejector portion toward the second position counteracts the bias.
 28. Amethod in accordance with claim 27 wherein the fur ejector portioncomprises a resilient portion and the edge of the fur ejector portionand the resilient portion are integral portions of a homogenous piece ofmaterial, and wherein the step of applying the external force to the petgrooming tool resiliently deforms the resilient portion of the furejector portion.
 29. A method in accordance with claim 27 wherein thestep of applying the external force to the pet grooming tool causes theedge of the fur ejector portion to slidably contact the teeth of thetoothed portion.
 30. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein thestep of applying the external force to the pet grooming tool causes theedge of the fur ejector portion to slidably contact the edge segments ofthe toothed portion.
 31. A method in accordance with claim 26 whereinthe external force applied to the handle portion to move the teeth ofthe toothed portion relative to the pet's coat is applied via a person'shand that also applies the external force applied to the pet groomingtool in the manner moving the edge of the fur ejector portion away fromthe first position toward the second position.
 32. A method inaccordance with claim 26 wherein the pet grooming tool comprises atleast one screw, and wherein the method further comprises removing thefur ejector portion from the pet grooming tool via removing the screwfrom the pet grooming tool.